Ahead of Tuesday's Forest v Liverpool Premier League match, Forest have emerged as a surprise title contender, bringing back memories of past successes.
When the 2024/25 Premier League season started in August last year, few could have foreseen that a match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool in January would be billed as a top-flight fixture. Nuno Espírito Santo's team go into Tuesday's match at the City Ground (January 14, kick-off at 3pm ET) knowing that a win will bring them within three points of the Reds, the current leaders.
While Liverpool are regularly expected to challenge for the Premier League titles, Forest are not. Prior to the 2022/23 season, the club had been out of the English top division for 23 years after being relegated at the end of the 1998/99 season.
At that time they even dropped to the third tier for three seasons in the mid-2000s, the first time they had dropped that far since the early 1950s.
In their two seasons back in the Premier League they have only just escaped relegation, with 16th and 17th places giving little indication that they were (almost) able to keep pace with the very best this time around. Yet here we are.
The unique achievement of Nottingham Forest
And of course, Forest have previously pulled off a surprise shortly after being promoted. Some are calling what you are about to read the most impressive achievement in the history of any club team from England, and perhaps even further afield.
The year after winning promotion from the English third tier under legendary manager Brian Clough in 1977, Nottingham Forest won their first ever English Division One title (the name for the top flight at the time), making them the most recently promoted team to do so reached. achievement in England.
However, that was just the beginning. In 1978/79 they sent shockwaves through European football by winning the European Cup (which became the Champions League) in their first attempt, beating holders Liverpool in the first round. And perhaps even more incredibly, they defended their trophy the following season, a semi-final victory over Ajax, the highlight of their 1979/80 triumph.
Which clubs have won the Champions League in a row?
Forest's double win followed back-to-back victories for Liverpool in the league. The Premier League clubs are two of only eight clubs to win consecutive European Cups/Champions Leagues; the others are Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Ajax and Benfica.
This also makes Forest the only team to have won the European Cup/Champions League more times than the domestic competition.
The club have not played in the European Cup/Champions League since 1980/81, the season after their last win, when they were eliminated in the very first round. That could change next season, but is there even a chance they can do that as Premier League champions? Tuesday's match against Liverpool will almost certainly be crucial if they are to maintain their shock challenge.
Get your game on! Whether you like NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class football goals or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Comments